Clark then Spence…

It was meant to become another great racing year for Jim Clark. Already a two-time World Champion, the Scot won his 25th Grand Prix, on the 1st of January 1968 in South Africa, beating the record of 24 wins established by the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio.

The Lotus 49, powered by the Ford V8 Cosworth, was very competitive, and the Clark was on top of his game, so a third title was a real possibility. But we know how cruel destiny can be, like at a simple F2 race in Hockenheim…

This image here-above, reminds us that Clark was supposed to drive at the Indianapolis 500, on board of this turbine-powered Lotus 56, a car he discovered on the Speedway in March. He is seen here with the Granatelli brothers (representing sponsor STP), Parnelli Jones and Colin Chapman.

After his tragic death that sinister afternoon in Hockenheim, it was Mike Spence who was chosen to replace him. Sadly, the English driver was killed when he heavily crashed during qualifying.

Andy Granatelli and STP came back to the Indy 500 in May 1969, and won the race with Mario Andretti, but Team Lotus never raced again on the famous Speedway.